UMikko Hirvonen, umshayeli weFord, wahlasela iRally de Portugal "ngakho konke" futhi umphumela waba ukuhlasela okuphumelelayo kobuholi.
U-Mikko Hirvonen ubengeyena owokulungisa okhethekile wokugcina walolu suku lwesibili lwe-Rally de Portugal. Umshayeli weFord/M-Sport, ophume esigabeni sesikhombisa ngaphandle kwamaphutha, usezihola phambili umjaho wamaPutukezi weWorld Rallys.
Ezithendeni zikaMikko Hirvonen, igama elingavamile elibonakala lithole ugqozi ezindaweni zase-Algarve ukwenza i-Ford Fiesta RS WRC "indiza". Sikhuluma ngo-Ott Tanak, umshayeli wase-Estonia osendaweni yesi-2 jikelele, ngama-3.7s nje ukusuka endaweni yokuqala.
Endaweni yesi-3 kufika umpetha womhlaba, u-Sebastien Ogier, umshayeli wendiza weqembu leVolkswagen. Kungenzeka ukuthi umshayeli waseFrance ulahlekelwe wukuhola kulo mbuthano, waphazanyiswa wukuba ngowokuqala emgwaqeni, nakuba kukhona abaphakamisa ukuthi u-Ogier ‘aphakamise unyawo’ ngamabomu ukuze aqale endaweni engcono ezigabeni zakusasa. Ngamanye amazwi, konke kuvuliwe ekulweleni ukunqoba kokugcina.
Impi eyenzeka manje nabagibeli abathathu, ngemuva kokuthi uJari-Matti Latvala ehoxile eSilves ekhethekile, kulandela ukulahlekelwa.
AbakwaHyundai nabo bahle kakhulu, ngokunqoba okuthathu kokuhlunga kanye nomSpanish u-Dani Sordo ophume endaweni yesi-5 jikelele, ngemuva kukaMads Ostberg, nge-Citroen.
Kusasa futhi kuzohlanganisa ingqikithi yezipesheli eziyisithupha, neziphaseji ezimbili ezidlula ezingxenyeni ezimangalisayo ze-Santa Clara, i-Malhão ne-Santana da Serra.
Ngezansi ukuhlukaniswa okuvamile, ekupheleni kwalolu suku lwesibili:
1. Mikko Hirvonen (M-Sport), 1:25:05.6
2. Ott Tanak (M-Sport), +3.7s
3. Sebastien Ogier (Volkswagen), +6.5s
4. Mads Ostberg (Citroen), +25.6s
5. U-Dani Sordo (Hyundai), +25.7s
6. Thierry Neuville (Hyundai), +42.0s
7. Henning Solberg (Ford Fiesta), +1m42.3s
8. Juho Hanninen (Hyundai), +1m58.2s
9. Andreas Mikkelsen (Volkswagen), +2m16.2s
10. Martin Prokop (Jipocar), +2m59.2s